Body Matching Missing Swimmer's Description Found In Lake Michigan: Officials

EVANSTON, IL — A body potentially matching the description of a 41-year-old man who disappeared while swimming at Lighthouse Beach last weekend has been recovered, Evanston city officials said Saturday.

Around 6:40 a.m. Saturday, the Evanston Fire Department was dispatched to investigate a report of a body found in Lake Michigan. The body was discovered by a fishing charter approximately two miles off Dempster Street Beach, city officials said in a news release.

The fishing charter crew notified the Coast Guard, which then informed the Evanston Fire Department. Fire officials responded and used a boat to recover the body from the water.

• RELATED: Recovery Efforts Continue For Swimmer Missing Off Evanston Beach

The Evanston Police Department and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office are working to positively identify the body.

Last weekend, Evanston firefighters were called to the beach around 4 p.m. Sunday for a report of four swimmers struggling in the lake. A woman and two teenage girls were rescued by a witness before emergency personnel arrived.

The fourth swimmer, identified only as a 41-year-old man, could not be found, officials said. Low visibility, high winds and rough waters also hindered search efforts.

About a half-dozen agencies searched the area for several hours Sunday evening, using Chicago Fire Department and U.S. Coast Guard helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles to scour the water.

The beach was under a red flag warning with a no swimming flag flying at the time of the rescue operations.